


Throwing Stones

by Corgi



Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: ? - Freeform, AU where everyone has spirit animals that tag along, M/M, MM, and there are soul mates, slow burn bagginshield, sounds cool right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-30
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2017-11-27 14:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/662897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corgi/pseuds/Corgi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Everyone has a spirit animal, no matter what race. Some say that there's an art to predicting what someone's animal might be, but truth be told, there isn't. They change and grow with their other half, and live and breathe with them.</i>
  <br/><i>You can be sure that they'll be the perfect match.</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bilbo and Marlough Baggins never expected this. They were content, and they certainly don't need a wolf and a dwarf hounding them constantly!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which everything seems ordinary

Bag End was a rather peaceful place. A cosy place, full of food, comfort and hobbit-ey treasures galore. It was home to a rather remarkable Hobbit, a small and fearless little thing. He was a happy little Hobbit, content to spend days on end with his spirit animal, a small badger named Marlough. Their lives were boring, and they were quite content with it staying that way.

-

"Marly!" The small animal stuck her snout up in the air and pawed at the gate. She wiggled slightly, blinking under the soft glare of the sun, before turning to look back up at the door.

 _"Come along Bilbo! We haven't all day!"_ The hobbit exited their home with his pipe in hand, and stepped out to open the wooden gate. His badger slipped out onto the path, and Bilbo following diligently. He stared down at his home fondly, eyes roaming over the rolling green hills, the glistening lake and the overall cheery exterior of the place he loved. He spotted one of his cousins over in a field, his cow at his side. Marlough nudged his big hairy toes and squeaked. The pair always enjoyed their midday stroll, right after lunch in the warm air. Routine was very much appreciated in Bag End, and who would deny them such simple pleasures? Marlough trotted forward, sniffing the ground. Out before them, hobbits were working and playing, animals by their side. Just another day in the Shire.

Marlough turned to wait for her hobbit, before sticking her black nose up in the air.  
_"It's them again."_  
Lo' and behold, the Sackville-Baggins appeared from the bottom of the hill, looking around as if they owned the place. Otho's animal - a rather fat cat that went by the name of Maja - stalked up to Marlough, bristling up as he got closer. Lobelia's weasel - Cartle - followed him, sneering at the small mammal. Marlough scooted backwards, under Bilbo's legs. The hobbits stared at eachother, before Bilbo nodded to them.

"Ugh, fine day isn't it?" They stared at him and didn't respond. There was a pregnant pause, before the pushed passed him. They scampered off as Bilbo and Marlough shared a look.

"How very polite of them."

 _"They're rather ignorant Bilbo, I've almost forgotten that they were once rather nice. I'm still not overly fond of them."_ Bilbo laughed lightly, before urging her forward.

"They're just after Bag End Sweetheart, you know that. And I'm not fond of them either, but they're family." They continued down to the lake side, where the small badger willingly stepped in to wet her paws. Bilbo watched her splash, and grinned down at her once she tottered back over. They set off again, making their way over the bridge and to the market. Hobbits bustled around, buying and selling their wears with much pride. A dove flew over and landed on a child's head, making the little halfling squeak. Bilbo's animal weaved around people's feet with care, fighting the urge to ask to be picked up. They browsed for a while, before they moved on.

Eventually, they came back to their gate and sat down on the quaint little bench that Bilbo's father had hand crafted as a wedding present to Belladonna Took. The tiny creature crouched down and jumped up next to her hobbit, nestling against his side as he lit his pipe.

She lifted her nose as Bilbo blew a smoke ring. A grey clothed figure strolled up, much to large to be a hobbit, and the smoke flew back as a butterfly to burst against Bilbo's nose. Marlough watched as Bilbo and the man in Grey stared at one another. They barely noticed a small robin fly down and perch on his tall pointy hat.

"Good Morning." Bilbo began, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

"All of them at once," said Bilbo hesitantly. "I suppose." Marlough snorted. She stared up at the robin as her hobbit and the man - now introduced as Gandalf - spoke. They didn't often get visitors, other than the occasional relative coming to enquire about their welfare. She jumped as Bilbo got to his feet. He gathered her up and sent a short glare to the Wizard.

"Good Morning." He nodded made his way back into the house and closed the door. She was placed on the floor and she stared up at him.

 _"What on the shire was that all about?"_ He ignored her and went to peer out the window, and the both jumped as Gandalf's face appeared.

"Nothing dear, just some interfering old man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is a slight prologue I suppose. Next chapter, we welcome the dwarves and their own animals!


	2. In which everything starts to go wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, don't get me wrong, Bilbo loves guests. But 13 dwarves, a wizard and their collective animals? Now, that's just a recipe for disaster.

Fish was a particular favourite of Marlough's, high up on her list along with honey, jam and strawberries. Bilbo was a particularly gifted cook, and for that, she tended to be grateful. She lifted her snout as he passed a small piece of fish into her mouth. The frying pan in front of sizzled and hissed with the cooking flesh, causing her stomach to rumble more than would be deemed proper. The hobbit smiled as his animal's stomach grumbled again, turning his stove off with a flick of his wrist. He arranged the food on their plates quickly, and helped the badger move across to the table. He twirled to grab the plates and placed them on the table, and sat down himself. He picked up his knife and fork,

_And there were three knocks on his door._

Marlough turned to give it an incredulous stare, and watched as Bilbo got up.

 _"Visitors? At this hour?"_ She grumbled to herself, and bit off a bit of fish. _"They do know it's supper time right?"_ The Hobbit rolled his eyes and opened the door, to find a dwarf. The bald headed dwarf bowed, and it's own animal, a large black cat as his side.

"Dwalin, at you service." Bilbo drew his dressing gown together as the two stalked forward, the panther's tail flicking again his face. "Which way is it lad? Is it down here?" Bilbo shut the door and stared at them.

"Where's what?" The panther sniffed the air.

 _"The food of course, he said that there'd be lots of it."_ He pointed down the right hallway, a blank look on his face.

"Uh, sorry, do I know you?" Dwalin gave him a look.

"No." He followed the dwarf to where his own partner was stood, hackles raised as she took in the new company. She couldn't help but become defensive at the sight of the much larger carnivore, and ignored the urge to run away. The male cat nodded to her once, and Bilbo petted her on the head. She relaxed slightly.

 _"Askal, at your service."_ She lowered herself, before jumping onto the floor. She barely came up past his knees, and strained to look up at him.

 _"Marlough, at yours sir."_ Before she knew it, her fellow spirit animal had polished off her supper, and was sat licking his paws by his master.

"Very good this, any more?" Bilbo glanced down at the remains of the meal, eyes fluttering slightly. With his mouth agape, he stood to collect the cheese scones he'd cooked down from the windowsill. He caught Marly's look, and pocketed one for himself before handing the plate over to the pit-like dwarf.  
"It's just that, I wasn't expecting company."  
Then the doorbell rang. Again.

 _"That'll be the door."_ Askal commented, glaring up at the hobbit. Marlough got up to follow him, and stood back as he opened up the door. A white haired dwarf gave a grin.

"Balin, at your service." He outstretched his arms, and bowed. 

"G-Good evening." Bilbo replied, a tad bluntly. Balin smiled again and looked back down onto Hobbiton.

"Yes yes it is." He stepped in, and lent his neck. "Although, I think that it might rain later. Muria, if you would dear." A small tawny owl flew in to land on his shoulder. She nodded at the Hobbit pair.

 _"Fine night for flying."_ Her voice was calm and bell like, with a slight hint of amusement in it. Compared to the large cat that prowled out of sight, both Marlough and Bilbo felt like they'd encountered two ends of the spectrum.

"Are we late?" Balin asked, looking at Bilbo earnestly.

_"Late?"_

"Late for what?" Bilbo asked hesitantly, almost not wanting an answer for his question. The white haired dwarf opened his mouth to speak, but was soon distracted.

"Ohh! Aha!" Marlough turned to see Dwalin attempting the cookie jar, with Askal at his feet. The bald dwarf stared at Balin. "Evening brother." 

Brothers. Dwarves. Cats and owls. What the hell was going on? Bilbo closed the door as the two bumped heads. Muira hopped down onto the arm rest of a family heirloom (talons scratching the wood) and she and the cat also bumped heads, albeit with much more gentle care. Marlough padded over to the two as Bilbo tried, and failed, to explain his confusion to the dwarves. They'd moved to the pantry before the badger could blink.

 _"Umm, what on middle-earth is going on?"_ She asked, staring up at the two. Her more tookish side (yes, she was just as much took as her hobbit) mused that she should be calling them guardians, as dwarvish customs claimed the spirits to be. She could hear Bilbo rambling and ranting about something, but kept most of her attention to her fellow spirit/guardians. The owl blinked owlishly.

 _"Is something the matter dear?"_ Someone whistled and they began to move. She stared after them, before blinking a few times. I must be dreaming, she thought to herself. I ate my supper and fell asleep, that's it. The door went again. She found herself trailing after Bilbo, slightly dazed. He opened the door and there were two of them! Bilbo whimpered, as they stared at him.

"Fíli." The golden haired one introduced himself.  
"And Kíli!" The dark haired one continued. They both bowed together, as if they'd rehearsed it.  
"At your service!"  
"You must be Mr Boggins!" Marlough tried not to be insulted, but Bilbo was quicker.

"No! You can't come in, you've come to the wrong house." He moved to close the door, but he was halted by a boot and two concerned dwarves.

"What? Has it been cancelled?"  
"No one told us." They had the decency to nod down at the dazed badger who stared back up at them.

 _"Cancelled? No, nothing's been cancelled."_ They stepped forward and smiled down at her, Kíli bending to pat her on the head.

"That's a relief little one." She nodded, and cringed as the blonde one - Fíli - stepped back outside.  
"Oi! You two!" They began to unload their weapons into Bilbo's arms, but not before two more woodland guardians slipped into the small hobbit hole. One was red with little white paws and a black nose, and the other was black from head to toe. 

Foxes, she mused. Of all the creatures, foxes. 

They stopped and sat down in front of her. The red one, who she could feel was bonded with Fíli bowed his head.

_"Naví."_ The black one copied.  
 _"And I'm Laví."_ Marlough felt inclined to bow her own head.

_"Marlough..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, introducing 13 dwarves and their animals is going to be taxing, but fun all the same I suppose.  
> Next chapter we meet the rest of the dwarves, and our beloved shire-pair are in for a shock.  
> (and for some reason, it won't let me italicise the last two bits of speech. Humm.)


	3. In which a company is born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bag End seems to be filling up quite rapidly. Enter more dwarves and a wizard!

Dwarf. Guardian. Everything was spinning. By Aule, she was going to be sick very very soon. With paws placed over her eyes, Marlough attempted to block out all the was going on around her. Sadly, she could feel Bilbo's distress, and she was being jabbed in the side by something. She glanced over to her left, taking in the black fox that was batting his paw against her left flank. Laví looked up at her, tilting her head to the side. Naví was somewhere behind his sister, staring at his dwarf.

 _"What are you doing?"_ Marlough heard the door go again, and attempted to scramble further under the chair. The foxes leapt out of Bilbo's way as he started towards the door again, muttering something that would have made some of their more 'proper' relatives gasp.

"No more dwarves!" She admired her hobbit's tone of voice, but could sense that something big was going to happen if they liked it or not. And, considering the luck that they were having at the moment, she doubted that they were going to like it. As Bilbo reached for the door handle, Marlough wanted nothing more than to run and hide somewhere little foxes couldn't continue to poke her.

 _"Will you please stop that?"_ He wretched the door open and a group of dwarves and animals fell forward. She felt like she wanted to cry. Laví and Naví quickly got to their feet and went to stand by the panther that had come to investigate. Malough got to her feet and padded over, fighting the urge to turn tail and flee. She watched as the group began to pick themselves up, and she spotted Gandalf crouched in the door way, little bird on his hat. She heard Bilbo sigh.

"Gandalf." 

Soon enough, everything was happing to quickly for the little badger to comprehend, so she retreated back to her little alcove under a chair. She blankly watched as they all marched past, animals at their sides. Soon enough the began on the food, causing Bilbo to go into a right tizzy. She could see him fuming as he attempted to stop them from eating their food, and decided it would be best to show him some form of comfort. The little badger shot out from under the chair, to rest between the halfling's feet. Bilbo stared down at her briefly, before turning on the largest dwarf carrying three blocks of cheese.

"Um, excuse me that's a tad, excessive... isn't it?" He was fingering his suspenders, a sign that he really wan't comfortable with what was going on. "Don't you at least want a cheese knife?" The dwarf with the hat walked past, a small fluffy creature on his shoulder.

"Cheese knife? He eats it by the block." Bilbo huffed and turned to a grey bearded dwarf, who was carrying in a chair.

"No, that's not for sitting on..." Marlough backed up onto someone's leg, and she squeaked as she was lifted up. Gandalf held her against his side as the space she was in became occupied by a dog. He smiled down at her, and dodged the chandelier.

"Fíli, Kíli..." She was turned around. "Óin, Glóin... Dwalin, Balin... Bifur, Bofur, Bombur..." She belatedly realised he was counting them off. "Dori, Nori..." She watched her hobbit snatch some tomatoes away form a young looking dwarf. "Ori!" Gandalf turned around again, to face another dwarf with an axe in his head. He said something in a language she did not recognise - sounding more like grunts and coughs more that actual words - but regardless of that the wizard nodded and agreed with him.

"You're one dwarf short..." She hid her snort at his pun and she was facing Dwalin and Askal.

 _"He's late is all."_  
"He travelled north to attend a meeting with our kin." Marlough was handed over to Bilbo, who held her against his chest tightly, as Gandalf was offered a drink. She nuzzled Bilbo's neck, and stared around with wide eyes.

 _"Bilbo, what on the shire's happening?"_ The dwarves were taking their seats, animals perched next to them or on the table. The little robin was handed a small piece of bread as a small dog was given a bit of ham.

"You know what Marly, I haven't the faintest idea."

The manners of the dwarves seemed non-existent by this point, as they began to throw one another bits of food that would be caught in their mouths. The hobbit and badger turned to stare at their now empty pantry, eyes roaming over the empty shelves.

"This is going to take quite a bit to re-fill." He murmured, placing her on one of the shelves. The dwarves went silent in the other room, pausing to drink their beer. They flinched as burps and belches were released, cursing Gandalf to the moon and back. Marlough nudged a still Bilbo, who helped her down onto the floor. Their unexpected guests quickly finished the food, leaving nothing left, not even crumbs. She slunk out into the living room as Bilbo went to the kitchen, and curled up in front of the fire.

 _"You're the hobbit's guardian, aren't you?"_ Lifting her head, the badger stared at the small rabbit in front of her. The rabbit stared at her, before gasping slightly.  
 _"Ohh, where are my manners? My name is Kísa, my dwarf's name is Ori."_ She attempted to bow, but her large ears caused her to tip over onto her back. A grey creature came over and used it's tail to push her back.

 _"Are you alright?"_ Marlough asked, nuzzling her cheek. Kísa nodded.

 _"Ohh, that always happens! Ori said he might make me something to hold them back..."_ The grey creature shook it's head fondly.

 _"My name's Puck. I'm a raccoon."_ She explained. Some of the other animals were coming to investigate the small badger, some a lot larger than herself, and some a bit smaller. Naví and Laví appeared from nowhere, settling down next to her.

_"You've met Askal, Muira, Puck and Kísa, best introduce you to the others."_

Kísa bounded over to the smaller dog.  
 _"This is Tahn! He's Ori's brother's animal!"_ Dori's corgi nodded to her, and she nodded back. She was soon introduced to the others:  
'Uges, a large black and white collie, who was bonded with Óin, and his brother animal, a snarky raven named Haran who was Glóin's animal. A brown bat-like creature who communicated with her in a series of high pitch squeaks named Rajack - Bifur's animal, a dainty little mouse with pale grey fur named Berin - Bombur's animal and a feisty little brown squirrel, bonded with Bofur, named Meelo. She 'smiled' at them all polietly. Of course, not actually smiling (she was a badger, not a hobbit), actually sending them the presence of a smile.

A song started up in the other room. A song. About what Bilbo hates. Marlough could feel more distress coming from him, and felt slightly overwhelmed and very claustrophobic. She closed her eyes and tucked her snout under her arm, wincing as Bilbo felt hurt. The other animals were talking to eachother, and then the feeling vanished, only to be replaced with a relief. She lifted her head slightly, and sighed through her nose. There was another knock at the door and everything went silent. Slowly, the guardians rose to find their dwarf, and the foxes nudged her to find her hobbit. As she entered the now crowded hallway, the door was opened, and she sat down next to Bilbo. There, stood a dwarf, silhouetted by the moon with a great beast at his side.

"I almost had trouble finding this place." He said, stepping in. "Koric couldn't smell anyone over the scent of halflings." The wolf grunted.

"Bilbo, Marlough, this is Thorin Oakenshield and his guardian Koric." Thorin stared at Bilbo, disdain clearly evident in his glare.

"So this is the halfling you want on out journey." The dwarf stared down at the badger for a second, but looked away. "Tell me Master Baggins, do you have a weapon of choice?"

"Well, I'm rather good at conkers." Marlough giggled and ignored the glare the wolf gave her. Bilbo flashed her a grin as the dwarf stalked further into their home. The foxes ran under the wolf's legs and began talking to him at rapid speed, much to Marlough's amusement. The dwarves followed their leader, whilst the guardians stayed in the hallway. As they were all talking, she was stared at by the wolf, who was staring at her intently. She felt confused for a split second before everything went black and she fainted.

\--

"...me a minute..." Feeling sluggish, Marly opened her eyes and blinked thrice. A hand was stroking her head, and she felt warm. "Marly, dear, are you all right?" She nodded, and spotted the robin sat next to her.

 _"What happened?"_ She asked her.  
 _"Your hobbit fainted, causing you to faint as well. Koric carried you in here."_  
 _"I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask for your name, what with the sudden company and all."_ The Robin 'smiled'.  
 _"My name is Mithi."_

"...I'm sorry Gandalf, but I won't do it." Bilbo got to his feet, and picked up his animal with gentle hands. "I will not do it." They walked to their bedroom, avoiding any and all dwarves and animals. As they settled down to sleep, the dwarves began to sing of a mountain, deep voices shaking the pair to their core. Marlough dreamed of dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about any mistakes, and basically:  
> Bilbo - Marlough - Badger  
> Thorin - Koric - Wolf  
> Fíli - Red Fox - Naví  
> Kíli - Black Fox - Laví  
> Balin - Owl - Muria  
> Dwalin - Panther - Askal  
> Bofur - Squirrel - Meelo  
> Bifur - Brown Bat - Rajack  
> Bombur - Mouse - Berin  
> Oin - Boarder Collie - 'Uges  
> Gloin - Raven - Haran  
> Ori - Rabbit/Hare - Kísa  
> Nori - Raccoon - Puck  
> Dori - Corgi - Tahn  
> Gandalf - Robin - Mithi


	4. In which there's an awful lot of running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I mean, who really cares about what the Hobbits think? Let's all go on an adventure!

Marlough awoke before Bilbo, just as the sunlight was starting to peek over the hills. She blinked a few times, before listening out for anything. There was nothing. She got to her feet and hopped off of the bed, where her hobbit lay curled up in a ball. She trotted out of the room, still listening intently for any sign of the company of dwarves that had been there the night before. She crept through the house, finding nothing but the contract Bilbo had refused to sign. She sighed, and didn't notice Bilbo as he walked up behind her, until she had a warm hand against her skull. She leant back into his palm as he stared at the piece of parchment in front of them.

“They’ve all gone?” He asked softly, scratching behind her ears. She nodded and he sighed. He crouched down and stared at her, a small sigh on his face.

“Marlough, if I asked, would you come with me on this adventure?” She paused, before blinking twice.

_“What makes you think I’d refuse?”_ He grinned and got to his large feet, hurrying to find some quill and ink. He came back and quickly signed both of their names, and allowed the guardian to make a quick paw print on the page. She hopped off of the chair and padded around the house as he rushed around, packing a bag for the journey.

_“How are we going to catch up with them? I sensed ponies last night.”_ He rushed back into the room to grab his coat.

“I’m sure a little bit of exercise will do me fine.” She spluttered and he picked her up. 

_“We’re going to run after them?”_ She exclaimed. He shook his head and opened up his bag.

“I am, you’re going to be in the bag.” She hissed suddenly, before being placed into the bag. He tethered it closed and ignored her screams as he placed her on his back.  
“Careful, might get a bit bumpy.” 

_“If and when I get out of here Bilbo Baggins, I’m going to bite you.”_ She hissed and she heard their green door close and lock. He hopped over the fence with a shout of laughter (and curses from the badger in his bag) and took off down the lane. He went over a ridge and Marlough struggled to not be sick as the bag rattled around. She felt weightless for a second, before slamming back down onto the folded blanket. She screeched as he hopped over another fence.

_“Yep, defiantly going to bite you!”_ She yelled, before gagging again. _“I think I’m going to be sick!”_

“Here, Mister Bilbo, where are you going?” Came a relative’s reply. Bilbo jogged on past.

“Can’t stop, I’m already late!”

“Late for what?” Marlough couldn’t help but feel happy for her hobbit as she bounced up and down on his back. Not too happy though, she was getting the short end of the stick so far.

“I’m going on an adventure!” They ran for what seemed like ages, and every time Marlough thought she was going to be sick, it passed, only to reappear again. She closed her eyes as she adjusted to the feeling of running, but almost cried as Bilbo began to yell.

“Wait!” He cried, speeding up slightly. “Wait!” She heard a horse neigh, or pony, as dwarves weren’t exactly large, and the voices of many dwarves bringing their steeds to stop.   
The dwarven guardians all turned around to stare at the hobbit as he came to a stop.

“I signed it!” The small Halfling proclaimed, holding it up for the eldest dwarf to look at. Muria landed on her dwarf’s shoulder and they both stared at the contract. Balin nodded.

“Everything seems to be in order. Welcome Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield.” There were cheers from the company and Muria winked at him. Koric grunted and Thorin patted him on the head.

“Get him a pony.” Bilbo began to protest, but he soon found himself atop of a pony, thanks to Fíli and Kíli. He awkwardly settled himself down and tried to relax. 

“By the way, Master Boggins-”  
“-May I ask where your little Badger is?”  
“I highly doubt you left her at home.” The brothers asked, their foxes peeking up at the uncomfortable hobbit.

_“I’m in the bag.”_ Came a rather angry growl. Ignoring the laughing dwarves, Bilbo hesitantly brought his bag in front of him, and undid the clasp. He peered down at his partner, who growled up at him. He gingerly reached down to help her out, and she snapped her teeth, but allowed him to pick her up. She glared at the youngest dwarves and guardians as Bilbo fixed his pack to where he was told. She was placed on the pony and she sat down, glaring at the trees around her.

“I, urm, suppose it’s just good that you weren’t sick?” He asked quietly, trying not to offend her further. She slowly turned to glare at him.

_“That was the single most idiotic idea I think you’ve ever had, worse than the time you somehow convinced me that I could swim like an otter, and so much worse than the one time you pushed me out of a tree telling me to fly.”_ She hissed back, causing the dwarves closest to burst out into laughter again. _“And I can’t get comfortable on this pony.”_

Gandalf appeared at their side, Mithi sat on top of his steed’s head. Small pouches of gold were being thrown around, and Bilbo stared at them.

“What’s that all about?”

“They all took wages on whether or not the two of you’d come along.”

_“Most of them bet that you wouldn’t.”_ The little robin chirped. Marlough glanced up at the pair.

_“And what did you think?”_ She asked, feeling Bilbo’s questioning as well. There was a pregnant pause, until a bag was thrown into his lap. Mithi chirped.  
“My dear shire-lings, we had every faith in you.”

They rode for a long while, passing through fields, and thick forests, they eventually set up camp on a secluded ridge, where the company quickly began to set up camp for the evening. The Badger and the Hobbit dismounted and tied up their pony – Murtle – and soon enough the hour was late and they set down to retire for the night. For Marlough, curling up in a ball to go to sleep was easy, she did it normally. For Bilbo, it seemed to be rather difficult.

The campsite was full of snoring dwarves and animals, with Askal, Tahn and ‘Uges growling in their sleep. Naví, Laví, Kíli and Fíli were keeping watch be the fire, talking louder than they should have been for the evening. Marlough’s stomach growled and she whimpered pitifully. She hadn’t been able to stomach any food whilst riding, and she was quite hungry. Bilbo got up to stretch, and waddled over to Murtle to feed her an apple, and Marlough reluctantly got up and padded over to the fire. She settled down and stared at the embers as her stomach growled again.

_“Something the matter Marlough?”_ Laví was there lying against her side, licking his paws. His sister trotted over and curled up on her other side. The badger grumbled and huffed.

_“I’m just hungry, that’s all. I never got my supper yesterday, and I’ve hardly had anything decent on our travels so far._ Her stomach growled again. _“I miss my home.”_

_“If you miss your home so much, badger, then why bother coming? Why not convince the Halfling to stay in your cosy little home?”_ Came a growl. Koric appeared in the firelight, eyes glinting golden. Marlough regarded the dark furred wolf, before rolling her eyes.

_“Am I to find you intimidating, master wolf?”_ The foxes were snickering, and she knew that their dwarves were holding back. The wolf growled and Fíli tutted.

“Koric...” There was a howl, and Marlough jumped. She felt Bilbo’s fear immediately.

“What, what was that?” The dwarven brothers looked at one another.

“Orcs.” Koric lifted his head as his dwarf awoke, and Bilbo hurried away from the ponies. Marlough looked at the fox to her left.

_“Orcs?”_

“Throat-cutters, there’ll be dozens of them out there.”  
 _“Low lands are crawling with them.”_  
“They strike in the wee small hours when everyone’s asleep.”  
 _“Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood.”_

It was slightly unnerving to listen to the four of them speak so in tune, but Bilbo was more worried about the new knowledge. The four snickered to themselves.

“You think that’s funny?” She lifted her head to look at the Prince-in-exile. “You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?” Kíli looked down.

“We didn’t mean anything by it.” She watched as Koric got up to trail Thorin, keeping ever vigilant at the dwarf’s side.

“Of course you didn’t, you know nothing of the world.” They stalked off and the tension eased off slightly. Balin appeared, and began to spin stories of what had been. Marlough’s hunger had disappeared, her mind more in tune to the breathing of her fellow woodland creatures behind her. She was surrounded in warmth, and Balin’s voice – occasionally echoed by his owl’s own voice – was soothing and melodic in her head, helping her exhaustion cloud her mind. 

Before she could slip off completely, she watched as her leaders were silhouetted in the moonlight, and she sighed contently. This was going to be the best adventure yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh, sorry about the wait, i'm still in shock that people actually like my writing.


	5. In which friends are made and there's an awful smell

_“It looks like a house.”_ Marly noted, staring at the building ahead. Bilbo tilted his head and squinted at the structure before biting his lip.

“I can, sort of see it.” He lent back. “Ohh, there we are, yes a house.” Marlough rolled her eyes and braced herself as the pony stopped. She’d adjusted to the constant rhythm of the pony’s gait, managing to keep her food down for the day, but wasn’t quite ready to hop down from Myrtle’s back. Bilbo dismounted with the dwarves and helped Marlough down onto the floor, before disappearing to tether up his pony. She hopped up onto a rock as she watched the company bustle around, the larger guardians helping set up camp and those that were smaller waiting to offer their assistance.

“Badger, come here.” Lifting up her body, she trotted over to the tallest dwarf and nodded to the panther. “I need your help with collecting firewood.” Askal, ‘Uges and the foxes nodded and waited for the shire-ling to follow, and began to walk toward the wooded area.

 _“What are we doing?”_ She asked, padding behind the hound. _“I’m not big enough to carry firewood of all things.”_ Askal scoffed and flicked his tail.

 _“Smaller pieces of wood are essential for a fire.”_ ‘Uges explained, his deep voice reaching her with little scorn. _“It’s foolery to start a fire with large pieces, as it uses too much to grow; Smaller pieces are helpful because they burn easy and help other pieces burn.”_ The foxes were carrying pieces already, making a pile of twigs and unused branches. The five got to work and soon enough the pile was as tall as the Collie and as round as Farmer Maggot. Dwalin and Oin appeared and nodded, before thanking the small group. Leaving their work in the capable hands of the dwarves, Marlough followed Naví and Laví back to camp. 

As she spent more time with her woodland companions, she began to notice subtle differences between them. The elder fox, although being russet coloured and male, was a lot calmer than his sister. He was slightly bigger, with longer fur and larger ears. He was also quieter, placing his comments in at exactly the right moment, whereas Laví tended to run her mouth about most things. They resembled the heirs of Durin in that way, then again, they would. Those connected spiritually would be the same.

The camp came back into view, and she spotted Bilbo over the fire helping to cook. The foxes ran into the woods, where she guessed their dwarves were watching over the ponies. She avoided stray weapons and sleeping company members, keeping purposefully out of anything that could have her shouted at for. She settled down near the fire, keeping an eye on her hobbit as he bumbled about. She closed her eyes, humming softly as the warmth licked across her fur.

 _“Umm, Miss Marlough?”_ She cracked an eye open and rose her head to look at the small mouse in front of her. Berin blinked and squeaked quietly, before freezing. The badger cocked her head.

_“Yes Miss Meelo?”_

_“I’m not bothering you am I?”_ She shook her head, and the mouse settled down by her side. The smaller creature tucked herself behind her back leg, shielding herself from the fire. Marlough smiled softly and adjusted her leg to shield Bombur’s guardian more. She nodded gratefully and closed her eyes. Marlough smiled and closed her eyes again. At least there were a few she wouldn’t regret calling a friend.

\--

She hadn’t realised she’d fallen asleep until she was gently nudged in the side. Blearily, she blinked up at Bilbo, who smiled down at her.

“Come on, let’s take them their supper.” She slowly got to her feet, and followed her Hobbit silently. She could smell the forest around them, and there was a faint musk of something unpleasant curling around her nose. She shook it off as the heirs of Durin came into view. They were stood still, statues against the forest backdrop. Their foxes were poised, tails twitching nervously. Bilbo offered them their bowls and waited.

They didn’t take them.

 _“Is, something wrong?”_ Marlough asked, glancing up at them.

“Thorin asked us to watch the ponies-”  
“-there were sixteen-”  
“-but now there are only 14.”

Once again, the speaking after one another so easily unnerved the Shire-lings, but there was a more pressing matter at hand. Some really, really big and urgent matters that would need seeing too absolutely immediately. That smell was really quite unpleasant now.

“Well, that’s not good. Really, not very good.”

 _“We were hoping that-”_   
_“-as our burglars-”_  
“-you would help us out?” 

Bilbo was jolted forward, and Marlough leapt to follow. They looked around, counting the ponies to double check.

 _“Something big up-rooted these trees.”_ Marlough commented, scampering under one. Naví and Laví followed her, looking around nervously. _“Can you smell it too?”_ The red fox nodded.

 _“Aye. I’ve been weary of it all night. I just can’t seem to place the smell.”_  
 _“Smells like one of Thorin’s dirty socks.”_ Laví flinched, as if expecting a wolf’s paw to hit her on the head. Fíli rolled his eyes and went to laugh, but choked it down quickly. The badger raised her head to stare at him, but saw his gazed was fixed somewhere else.

“Shh, look, there’s a light!” The two dwarves and the hobbit crouched behind another fallen tree, and the animals flinched. The smell had come back with a vengeance accompanied by some heavy footfalls. 

“Trolls!” Marlough attempted to cover her nose, to no avail.

 _“That would explain the smell.”_ The dwarves and foxes leapt to follow the giant troll, causing the shire-lings to sigh and follow. They took the bowls of food, and pushed us forward.

“Hoot once like a barn owl, and twice like a brown owl.”

Wait a second, what on middle-earth was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken a while, and sorry that it's so short and sorry that the ending is really bad.  
>  But thank you to everyone who's commented, kudo-ed(?) and just read this story because I love you. <3


	6. In which a wizard has his uses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trolls still smell like old socks.

Now, most of middle-earth’s inhabitants were similar. Firstly, there were those like the Hobbits of the West. The kindly children of the earth were bonded with their guardians, who appear at birth. They grow together, and live in harmony with mother earth and the fruits that she gifts to the people. Then there are the hardy Dwarven pairs of the Mountains and Earth of old. Much like the smaller creatures know as Hobbits, a Dwarf and their guardians are born together and stay together.

The Elves of the woodland’s and open plains were much similar, being born alongside one another on another and living in harmony. However, due to the ever long lives of their kind the two can travel far from one another without feeling the consequences. Humans, as some might see it, have their journey the hardest. They are not born with their bonded, however their births are simultaneous. They are born with a need, a longing to search and find their animals and souls. Most find their one true partner, but some are struck with the constant longing of never being truly whole.

Monsters, however, don’t have these. Orcs aren’t born with an outer soul, seemingly stronger than the other people of middle-earth. But the truth was that they craved a guardian of their own. Generally dumber than most races, they had no means of doing so. That was, until, an orc made a pact with a warg, and an entirely new bond was formed. From the two races, wargs were generally more intelligent, and knew that only the best would be fit for them. The bond wasn’t as strong, but for them, it all seemed to work fine.

Trolls, they didn’t have anyone. It wasn’t that surprising really; they were large, loud, smelly, and most likely to eat anything that bonded with them. They were perfectly fine with their souls on the inside, and to some people, that seemed a little bit odd. So as Bilbo and Marlough approached their pony-friends, they couldn’t help but stare at the three creatures. They were arguing amongst themselves, whilst making some kind of soup.

_“Oh my, he just... sneezed, into the soup...”_ Marlough hissed her comment very quietly as the Hobbit attempted to undo the thick rope knots. Bilbo glanced over and caught sight of a knife hanging from the smallest one’s hip. She rolled her eyes and ducked behind a rock as he crept forward. She pushed into their bond and connected their minds.

_If this goes all wrong, then something bad is going to happen._ He reached out with shaky fingers, before gasping silently as the troll stood up. They waited with baited breath as he sat down again. The hobbit sighed and went to reach for it again, and Marlough let out a squeak as he disappeared. She heard a cry and crept forward slightly, attempting to locate her partner.

“Look wha’ came out of me ‘ooter!” The smallest troll cried. The badger put herself into a good view point, watching as Bilbo struggled.

“What’re you?”

“I’m a burglar- Hobbit! I’m a hobbit.” Marlough didn’t see one of the larger trolls until a giant, crusted with who knows what, leathery hand came down on her back and grabbed her. She squealed and wriggled and attempted to bite the hand that held her. Bilbo cried out as she was squeezed roughly.

“M-Marly-!” She hissed and squealed, before stopping. She held her breath as the pressure stopped, and stared at her hobbit with fear in her eyes. There was a small snarl from below them, and they craned their necks to stare at the black fox.

“ **Drop them.** ” The young dwarf growled, his guardian trying to make herself look more imposing. If she wasn’t on the verge of being killed, then she would have been rather amused at the young fox’s almost childish display.

“What’d you say?” The troll holding the badger asked.

“I said, put them down.” He growled again, trying to look intimidating. The trolls paused for a moment, and then decided to throw the shire-lings; right to the dwarves. Kíli grunted as the smaller Hobbit connected with his body, and they were on the floor. Marlough landed neatly on Bilbo’s back, and scampered off. She flinched as the dwarven company came from the trees, screaming in Dwarvish and seeming really rather threatening; Marlough was suddenly rather glad that they were on her side. 

She barely felt something nuzzling her as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She turned to stare at the wolf, who stared back intently. He nodded, before turning to snarl at a troll. She stood still as he attacked a leg, and only turned to her Hobbit as the ponies ran forward. 

A troll stepped forward, ignoring the brutal attack on its legs from some of the dwarven warriors, snarling at the small animal. She whimpered and scuttled backwards before falling to her stomach. Something was pulling her, and it _hurt_. Ori landed beside her, Kísa hopping backwards.

“Lay down your arms!” The dwarves had all gathered in a loose huddle, and the foxes were anxiously nudging Marlough. “Or we’ll rip his off!”

Marlough keened through the pain, and only saw the dwarves drop their weapons before she blacked out.

\--

She awoke with a pounding headache and sore limbs. There was blurry movement around her and she went to open her mouth but found she couldn’t. She blinked and focused on the rope around her muzzle and growled softly. She looked around and saw her fellow animals in various forms of captivity. 

Muria, Haran and Rajack had been crudely stuffed into a metal cage, preventing them from flying away. Most of the others were tied up to wooden posts, with snouts roped up to prevent anyone from chewing through the ropes. She glanced around and spotted the larger side of the company either tied up and bagged or on a spit-roast.

_“Marlough? How are you feeling?”_ Berin the mouse was tied up next to her, looking concerned as the badger flinched. Being so small meant her mouth was free, but she wasn’t going to be much use to all of them. Marlough nodded slowly, blinking as her vision swam. The trolls were talking again to one another, grunting and growling almost barbarically. 

“... we could just sit on them.” Said on troll. There was a slight uproar from the dwarven end of camp, but she watched in shocked pride as Bilbo struggled to his feet.

“Stop! Stop! You’re going about this all wrong!” The dwarves fell silent. “I know the secret to cooking dwarves!” He cried, gaining the attention of the three monsters. The large one looked down at him, and gestured for him to continue. “The secret, yes... the – uhh, secret is too...”

“Yes yes, get on with it.” Bilbo huffed.

“Yes, yes, the secret is too... skin them first!” Suddenly the dwarves snapped into shouts of anger.

“OI!”

“I’LL GET YOU.”

Marlough wanted to cover her eyes and ignore the harsh glare she was receiving. It wasn’t exactly like the words were coming from her mouth.

“I say we eat them whole! Nothin’ nicer than a raw dwarf!” Bombur was picked up and held above its mouth, his plait hanging down dangerously. Berin squeaked and closed her eyes, awaiting what seemed like an inevitable death.

“Not that one! He’s... infected!”Marlough stared up at her Hobbit shocked. Where in Aulë did he come up with those lies? 

“Infected?” It cried, before throwing him back onto the pile.

“In fact, they’re all infected!” He cried again. “With, ugh, parasites in their... tubes?!” Once more, the company was in uproar. “And the animals all have fleas! Terribly nasty, eating flea-infested animals. Upsets the stomach quite badly.” His hesitance made Marlough realise his plan. Something grey flashed past her viewpoint, along with a small and almost silent chirp.

She heard Askal growl rather loudly, accompanied by Dwalin’s various threats.

“PARASITES! YOU’VE GOT BLOODY PARASITES.” Laví wriggled somewhere behind her. 

There was a dull thud and a low growl, before the noise died down for a second. 

“I’ve got parasites as big as me arm.”

“I’VE GOT THE BIGGEST PARASITES, I’VE GOT HUGE PARASITES!”

Both she and Bilbo felt a rush of motherly affection for the young dwarf at his childishness, but there were more pressing matters at that moment. The trolls began to argue once more. This was getting a bit hairy for anyone’s liking, and Bilbo took a step back as the middle one was up in his face, before reaching to grab him.

“Let the dawn take you all!” Gandalf smashed the stone in two before the trolls could protest and the three of them all turned to hard, solid stone. There was a collective sigh of relief.

The wizard climbed down and began to help untie the dwarves, before moving onto the captured animals. He immediately freed the winged guardians, Muria swooping down to check over the eldest dwarf. As more dwarves were freed, the animals were untied by the company.

Bilbo padded over and dropped to his knees, bringing his animal into his chest. He held her tightly and pressed a brief kiss to her snout.

“Marlough, are you alright?” He asked tenderly, setting her back down on the floor. She felt exhausted, her limbs felt like lead and her vision was still swimming at random moments.

_“To be entirely honest, I feel a bit faint.”_ Oin bumbled over, Haran sat on his head affectionately. He felt along her legs and declared that nothing was broken. For the second time in the short period of time, she fell into an exhausted sleep.


	7. In which they are hunted

_“I just don’t understand why he thinks you need a sword Bilbo.”_ Marlough complained from her seat on the rock. _“You did fine with the trolls, so why-“_

 _“Define ‘fine’ badger.”_ Koric growled from the shadow of a tree. Thorin spared him a glance from his conversation with Gandalf. She rolled her eyes as Askal snorted. Berin glanced upwards from her spot on Marlough’s back, shaking her head. The smallest guardian climbed down and stood in front of the badger, effectively blocking the larger animals from the conversation. There were muffled snorts of laughter from the company. Bilbo smiled fondly and turned back to his exchange with Bombur.

 _“Honestly, acting like dwarflings; they should both know better.”_ She tittered, shaking her head. _“How’s your leg?”_

Their earlier encounter with the trolls had caused the smaller shireling more pain than appreciated. The small jaunt of pulling Bilbo’s limbs affected Marlough’s legs to be injured; the force exerted effectively breaking the small badger’s hind left and rendering her crippled until it healed.

_“Oin’s pain salve has done wonders, I can’t feel my leg nor the pain that comes with it.”_

A low growl echoed through the camp, her ears instinctively perking upwards. 

“Was that a wolf?” Bilbo was staring at their resident wolf. Koric shook his head slowly, hackles raised.

“That was no wolf.” The hobbit almost fell backwards as a warg leapt over the hill. The dwarves reacted immediately, forming a slight shield between the monster. It raced forward with a growl, before Dwalin lodged his hammer in its skull.

“Wargs!” Thorin spat, nodding to Dwalin.

 _“Which means an Orc pack is not too far behind!”_ Koric finished, growling low in the back of his throat.

 _“Orc pack?”_ Forgetting her broken leg for a brief second, she attempted to get to her feet. She gasped and fell forward, landing back down on the floor. Something closed around the scruff of her neck and she was lifted from the ground. The bush rustled to the left before she could question her elevation, and the company became guarded.

“TERROR!”

To be honest, if a crazy man burst into a clearing on a sleigh being pulled along by rabbits, most people would flip their shit and panic. Luckily, the clearing was filled by thirteen hardened dwarves and their spirit animals, one slightly respectable wizard along with his robin, and a well respected hobbit and his badger, so there was not as much sudden panic as one might expect.

“Gandalf!” The Brown robed man almost tripped over his hem and fell into the grey wizard. A small ball like object came from under the folds in his robes, and slowly un-rolled. A small hedgehog peeked up at the collective group, before squealing and running back to the wizard.

“...Poison Gandalf! Even Sebastian was hurt!” The grey wizard scowled and looked worried, before looking around.

“We don’t have time to talk Radagast, we’re being hunted.”

“I can lure them off!” As they argued briefly, Marlough remembered that she was still being held aloft by the wolf. Before she could complain, the group was off, Radagast leading their hunters away.

Being held in the jaws of a wolf whilst running across long distances wasn’t exactly pleasant; although she couldn’t exactly complain. If Bilbo was carrying her, they’d most likely fall behind. It was better that she was being carried by the much stronger and athletic creature; even if his teeth were a little sharper than she was accustomed to.

Belladona Baggins had been, and always will be, the more dominant parent in their lives, along with the even calm and calculating Chard. The Took and the leopard were a mighty duo, one that should never be truly fought against. Marlough could happily reminisce about how many times she’d been carried home in the jaws of the male cat. He’d scold her, before giving her a fond like on the head. They were a right pair, always getting into trouble as younglings. They could begin to haggle a hobbit from his pumpkins and make off with his whole cart before anyone could think twice.

Of course, that general nonsense stopped once she fell head over heels in love with a much more respectable Hobbit, named Bungo Baggins. Well, Bungo and Danna; Danna, the ever small, ever loving and ever motherly brown rat. But it wasn’t their hearts that fell in love, it were their souls. Danna and Chard fell in love at the beginning, and stayed together until the end. She often missed her mother and father, for they were a part of her heart that would never leave.

Anyway, back to the present. The entire company ducked behind a rock as the Brown Wizard led the orc pack away. They were silent as a deeper growling noise approached, nervous glanced being exchanged. Thorin nodded to Kíli, who took a deep breath. He stepped forward and spun around, shooting an arrow and hitting the warg in the shoulder. The orc and rider jumped down with cries of pain, before meeting their end at the hands of the dwarven company. 

“Run!” She attempted to keep an eye on her Hobbit, but found it increasingly difficult as the wolf holding her ran ahead. The company and guardians ran quickly as the pack closed in on them. The halted and stood back to back, watching intently to guard their lives. Koric leapt over and dropped Marlough into her Hobbit’s arms, before stalking back over to his dwarf.

 _“Where’s Gandalf?”_ Askal growled, ears pinned back and hackles raised.

“He’s left us!” Dori cried, Tahn the corgi barking in warning.  
“In here you fools!” Mithi flew over and tugged at the Halfling’s hair, twittering impatiently. The dwarves hurried to slide down into the cave, checking to make sure that the shirelings were following. Bilbo held the badger tight as he fell down into the cavern, attempting not to jog her leg. She hissed in annoyance and waited anxiously for the rest of the company to re-appear. Over the pounding in her ears, she heard Thorin shout to his younger nephew, and as the dwarf and fox joined them, she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. 

The entire company waited in silence within the cramped space, before daring to speak.

 _“I suppose it’s best if we keep moving.”_ Meelo the Squirrel was perched upon Bofur’s hat, holding his tail close to his body.

“Which way?” Asked Oin, staring hard at the fork in the path.

“Left of course.” Bofur strode on without waiting, disappearing around the rock wall before anyone could stop him. With no choice, the others followed silently, staying close to one another.

After the chase, the walk seemed like hours, the path leading them through a labyrinth of rock. Marlough kept quiet in Bilbo’s arms as he carried her, but she listened intently. The dwarves, it seemed, had their own language, much like Hobbits.

 _“Khûzdul,”_ Mithi whispered from her left as if reading her mind. The wizard’s robin had perched on the Hobbit’s shoulder, staring ahead with a faraway look in her eyes. _“, it’s as closely guarded as your own language, although it’s well known to exist. I’m not entirely sure if anyone outside the shire even knows of Hobbitish.”_

“And it’s best we keep it that way. The Green Lady gifted the language too us, so we mustn’t go speaking of it so easily.” Bilbo mumbled, holding Marlough closer. She nodded and blinked.

“There’s light ahead!” With renewed vigour, the company surged forward onto a cliff faces, eyes wide with the sight in front of them. Marlough gasped and noticed that it was echoed by a few others.

“The valley of Imladris,” Gandalf broke the awed silence, fondness clearly evident in his voice. Mithi chirped happily. “, the last homely house on these shores.” Bilbo sighed and smiled.

“Rivendell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really dislike this chapter. I hate how I've written it, and it just generally iritates me. Sorry about the delay, real life caught up with me and dragged me down.


	8. In which they encounter the elves

In all 50 years of their lives, both Bilbo and Marlough had dreamed of Elves. Throughout their childhood, they were small nightmares for their parents, always wondering off in search of the fair folk and returning with lumps and bruises and heavy hearts because the elves were hiding from them again. Belladona hadn’t been any great help, with such an adventurous soul herself. It’d taken the pair to grow out of it longer than most of their peers, they spent days of their adolescence taking impromptu trips to Bree, but they never had ventured anywhere further.

Accepting the job with the dwarves left little of the immortal folk in their minds, however there was always that thought that maybe, just maybe, they’d at least get a glimpse.

This though, they hadn’t anticipated. He ignored the grumbles of ignorance around him, clutching his badger closer with small gasps of wonder. It was all just like Belladona had created for them, with a slight twist of uniqueness. In the sunlight dipping further, then Elven structure had an ethereal gleam. Marlough let out small squeaks, dark eyes glittering. Bilbo kept close to the company, reminding himself that he really shouldn’t wonder off and explore.

“Mithrandir.” The company turned to face an approaching elf, who didn’t look bothered by the dwarrows in the slightest. The snake wrapped around his neck blinked down at the group.

“Ahh, Lindir.” Gandlaf smiled fondly at the elf. They grew closer and Lindir began to speak, although none of them understood what he was saying.

“I must speak with Lord Elrond.” Gandalf replied to the fluid comment. Marlough heard Koric snort something to Askal, but she chose to ignore the two of them.

“My Lord Elrond is not here,” Replied Lindir, switching into Westron. The snake hissed softly, purple scales gleaming in the setting sunlight.

“Not here... where is he?” Before the elf could answer, a hunting horn rang through the air.

A harsh noise of hooves caught his attention, and before either of them could blink they were dragged backwards into a protective bubble of dwarves. Although they’d both grown fond of their pony (ohh, Myrtle where had she gone?) seeing actual larger than life horses was slightly disconcerting, but within their dwarven company, they felt more at ease. 

It took Bilbo a moment to realise that the horses had riders, and all the unease he had felt vanished at their riders. Elves. There must have been ten or less circling them, staring down at the company and their guardians. They halted and there was an uneasy silence. An elf moved to dismount his steed, a hunting eagle perched on a shoulder plate.

“Gandalf,” He began, smiling down at the grey wizard.

“Lord Elrond.” Lindir looked suddenly uncomfortable, looking at the dwarves in distain. Bilbo caught Bofur glaring back. They turned to watch as their wizard and the elf embrace.

“Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders.” He moved to give the orc sword away, his eagle fluttering slightly. “Something, or someone, has drawn them near.” The high elf finally turned to face the company, a small twitch of his lips hiding a passive face. Thorin stepped forward.

“Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain.”

“I do not believe we’ve met.”

“You have your grandfather’s bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain.” Bilbo was honestly surprised at how relatively calm the dwarves were. The other elves and the guardians began to dismount and walk away, leading horses to their stables.

“Indeed, he made no mention of you.” Koric growled in agreement and the eagle screeched back. The wolf bowed his head slightly as his dwarf gave him a look. Elrond narrowed his eyes and began to speak in Elvish again. He stopped and only Gandalf was amused.

 _“What does he say?”_ Haran croaked, as Gloin squared his jaw. “Does he often us insult?” Immediately, the dwarves grew annoyed. 

_“No master Gloin,”_ Mithi quickly flew over to Gandalf. _“He offers you food.”_ The company turned back to chat amongst themselves, rather loudly and quite rudely, before they turned back.

“Ahh, well. Lead on then.” Elrond nodded to Lindir, who nodded his head begrudgingly. The dwarves were quick to follow at the prospect of food. Bilbo held Marlough closer, and went to follow them, before a hand came down on his shoulder. The hobbit turned to face Lord Elrond, Marlough blinking up at him warily. Elf or not, they were members of the company and they were in as much danger as they were.

 _“The little one is hurt, let us help you.”_ The eagle spoke softly, her voice washing over the pair softly.

 _“It’s nothing but a broken foot.”_ Bilbo began to follow the high elf, keeping Marlough still as she began to complain. They were led to a room with a bed and some cupboards, and Bilbo placed his badger down on the bed. Lord Elrond came over and began to place a light hand on her leg. The Eagle hopped on to the bed and blinked down at the badger.

 _“It’s not a break.”_ She murmured, staring up at her elf.

“Ria is correct, it’s just a light fracture, nothing I can’t deal with.” The elf agreed, walking to the cabinets. Bilbo smiled softly, patting her head.

“I’m glad.”

\--

Bilbo followed the High Elf’s directions to the dining hall, keeping a close watch on Marlough as she trotted in front of him. The both entered the open pavilion and Marlough was tackled to the floor.

 _“Marlough! You’re walking all by yourself!”_ Naví asked, lying across her back. Laví clambered   
over the two of them, giggling to herself.

 _“Ohh, would you two please get off, it’s still a bit tender.”_ She wriggled and snapped playfully, eventually shaking the foxes off. They laughed and joined the others who were lounging away from the table. Koric and Mithi were sat by their other halves and the head table, Ria and Lord Elrond having joined them for the meal. Berin bounced over along with Meelo.

 _“Who fixed up your leg Marly?”_ Berin asked quietly, sniffing the still bandaged leg. Meelo peered over his sister’s shoulder.

 _“Lord Elrond did, elves are wondrous healers you know.”_ Marlough didn’t notice Berin’s disdainful glare, as she stared over at the eagle and elf. _“I’m very grateful that I am no longer a  
burden to anyone.” _

_“Well, as long as you’re feeling better, that’s all that matters.”_ Kísa replied, before they all turned to their food and begin to eat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this has taken so long to come out, I really am. Everything's been so hectic and I keep procrastinating against writing this, and when I looked and saw that the last update was over a month ago I decided to man up and write the chapter.
> 
> In future, just inbox me and tell me to hurry up, honestly I won't be offened. In fact, you can message me on my tumblr - waitingforwinchesters.tumblr.com - and that will also get me writing quicker.
> 
> And, I know that this story can get a bit hectic, what with all the characters and names and genders (I have a rather helpful guide) but thank you for putting up with me.


	9. In which she loses it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlough just can't take it anymore.

_“I mean, surely it would have been a better idea to leave **after** breakfast...” _ Marlough complained to Bilbo, trotted along bitterly. Pre-dawn was cold and bitter against her fur, and she was irritated because she hardly slept with the dwarven snoring. She snorted as he didn’t reply, looking back one last time at Rivendell. Someone growled in front and she nudged him forward, lamenting the loss of hospitality all ready.

 _“We have no ponies, no Wizard and no chance of surviving; and surprise we have a mountain range to travel through.”_ She mumbled, skirting away from the edge of the rocky path. Bilbo walked on ahead, going to walk with Bifur, Bombur and Bofur. 

_“Oh don’t be so negative Marlough.”_ Meelo reprimanded, padding along beside her. The badger snorted again and looked forward, watching as the light peeked over the mountains. Bilbo glanced back and smiled at her, fuzzy feet making comforting footfalls against the ground.

She stared at him intently, minding her paws and keeping up a pace. The weapon (she refused to call it anything else) hung at his side, easily accessible for the Hobbit to reach. She hated it. They were creatures of the Shire, undoubtedly the most peaceful place in middle-earth. They weren’t meant to carry teeth of steel, someone that was made to kill. They were meant to eat, sleep and make merry, not sleep in fear of night terrors. She eyed his figure briefly as he turned again. 

He was thinner, thinner than she’d ever seen him. His clothes looked almost loose fitting now, as he walked off the comfortable hobbit bulk. From his back, he looked like one of the queerer hobbits located in Bree, the ones that often strayed from their homes and left their families behind. With sudden realisation, she realised that she must have looked very different now.

To be honest, she could feel it. She felt it that night, as they walked through the rain along a mountain pass. The wind and harsh downpour battered against her sides, her usual plumpness gone and the weather slowed her gait. Carefully, she stepped next to the cliff face, keeping as much distance between her and the edge as possible. Thunder rumbled around them, shaking her bones, but she ploughed onwards, keeping out from anybody’s feet. Something rumbled louder than thunder and the company grinded to a halt.

“STONE GIANTS!” She barely heard someone yell over the noise. She was urged forward and skidded under her Hobbit’s legs as the group was separated. 

_“Naví!”_ She screamed as the elder fox disappeared from her view. They moved forward as her heart pounded in her ears. She stumbled and someone grabbed her, making it to a safer bit of mountain as they held her closely. The mountain fell together and the others were safe; dazed, but safe. Naví looked alright, as did the other dwarves and guardians. Gloín placed her on the floor as the groups rushed to one another, but she looked around. Her stomach dropped.

Ignoring her earlier sense to stay away from the edge, she bounded forward, claws scrapping along the stone.

 _“BILBO!”_ The dwarrows turned and stared at the small creature as she attempted to jump to her Hobbit. Someone grunted and the wolf latched onto her scruff, picking her up as she screamed again. She didn’t watch Thorin as she helped Bilbo up, only seeing red and striking Koric in the nose. He looked affronted as she snarled at him, ears flat against her skull.

 _“Badger...”_ The two growled at one another through the storm, a faint trickle of blood running down the larger beasts snout. She went to lunge at him again but Bilbo intervened, picking her up and clutching her close. Immediately, the anger seeped out of her tiny frame and she pressed herself as close as she could.

“Thank goodness, I thought that we’d lost the both of you then.” Someone remarked; it might have been Bofur.

“They’ve been lost since they left their home.” Thorin growled darkly, and Marlough felt some anger return. “Learn to control your beast Halfling.” She wriggled out of his arms and stood as tall as she could make herself, bristling with anger.

 _“His name is **Bilbo**_!” She growled as the rain lessened slightly. The company stared at the small creature as she stood up to the prince.  
 _“You could at least have the audacity to remember his name as you’re the one that took him from his home! Prince or no prince what gives you the right you ignorant prick!?”_ Thorin almost looked dumbfounded. _“I will not apologise until the both of you learn some manners! So, until then, I hope I get the opportunity to hit you both again. How bloody dare you!”_ She finished, snarling very un-lady-like. With the silence that followed, she turned and checked her Hobbit for any injuries, ignoring any noise from behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't express how sorry I am for the wait and I will honestly try to get working harder with these.


	10. In which a game is played

Marlough corralled Bilbo onto his sleeping mat, growling at anyone how came near them. The Hobbit only smiled slightly, thankful that he had her during this adventure. She kept quite during the night as everyone slept, before falling to sleep.

It didn’t seem long until she was being moved, and she blinked awake and yawned. Bilbo hushed her quietly, and she watched sleepily as he began to pack everything away. She frowned gently; and squirmed as he picked her up.

 _“Bilbo...?”_ He frowned and shouldered his backpack, grabbed his walking stick and held Marlough tight. He crept towards the cave’s mouth.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Both the Hobbit and the Badger jumped and span around, staring at Bofur and Meelo. The squirrel gave Marlough a look, to which the badger huffed.

“We’re going back to Rivendell.”

“What?” The dwarf surged to his feet, almost dislodging his guardian as he reached out. Marlough growled lightly, and the squirrel returned the noise.

“You can’t leave-”

 _“Both of you are one of us- part of the company!”_ Meelo stressed, looking ready to jump onto the Hobbit. Marlough shut her down.

 _“No we’re not, not really. I’m amazed that we weren’t kicked off the side of the mountain because I yelled at the Prince.”_ Bilbo couldn’t help but agree.

“We’ve been treated like outsiders since we got here.” He paused, trying to find the words. “Thorin said I shouldn’t have come, maybe- maybe he was right.”

Bofur went to retort and Marlough shifted slightly, burying her snout in Bilbo’s arm. His arm blocked most of the conversation, but as the Hobbit moved she picked up the conversation.

“- I wish you all the luck in the world, I really do, I-” He paused, eyes widening. “What’s that?” Marlough peered over Bilbo’s arm, looking down at the Elven blade. There was a thin sliver of blue light peeking out from over the lip of the sheath.

The dust and sand began to drain from the cave floor.

 _“Isn’t that...”_ It was Thorin that suddenly got to his feet, and Marlough was only slightly startled to know that he’d been listening. Koric also climbed to his feet, snarling softly to alert the others.

“Everybody get-” The Company snapped awake, just as the group opened up and swallowed them up.

__\--_ _

For Marlough, it seemed like they were falling for hours. Indeed, that might have been due to her slamming into a rock surface every few moments, sending agonisingly sudden pain through her small body. She heard the others yelling, heard someone calling her name every so often before they landed in a pile. She was fortunate to land a-top of Bombur, his rotund middle providing so comfort in contrast to the painful journey down. Everyone gripped and groaned, and Marlough felt a sudden rush of panic. Where was Bilbo? She burrowed down into the dwarrows searching, before finding her Hobbit off to the side. She curled up into his jacket and he wrapped an arm around her as all hell broke loose around them.

Forever and always, as long as she and Bilbo live, she will never forget the chattering speech and sudden dread that the goblins brought with them, as they swarmed down upon the dwarrows. The various guardians yelped and growled as they were manhandled into following their partners, and Marlough stayed still as Bilbo lay close to the ground, and out of sight of the goblins.

As there chattering got further away, she felt Bilbo rise slightly, before all fell silent.

 _“Bilbo? What do we do?”_ She asked cautiously, as he secured her to his chest. She dropped her snout against his neck, and exhaled shakily as he drew his knife.

“I suppose we have to follow them,” He started, creeping alongside the cliff edge. “We’ll have no idea how to leave otherwise-”

They’ll both refuse to admit to the startled scream they gave as a small creature lunged at them, chattered yelling breaking the silence. Toppled over by the sudden weight of the goblin, they plunged into the darkness below.

__\--_ _

_“ You’d hope that one time we wouldn’t fall into a dark abyss. ”_ Marlough muttered to herself, awaiting Bilbo to awaken. Suddenly, Bilbo’s eyes snapped open and he gave a shaky groan. He gave her a relieved smile to know that she was okay, and he readjusted her strap quickly. He looked around a gave a startled cry at the dead goblin lying a few feet away, just outside of the leafy plant that had broken their fall. Marlough reached to lick his cheek. She opened her muzzle to reassure him, but quickly snapped her head to look into the darkness as she heard thudding footsteps approach.

The creature growled as it crawled, muttering ‘yes’ as it caught sight of the dead goblin. Marlough shuddered at the creature, her fur bristling as it let out a wet cough. Both shirelings watched, disgusted, as the creature began to drag the goblin away by its ankles. To both their surprise, the goblin started to struggle against the creature, but it was quickly killed by the white monster.

As the creature turned around again, Marlough watched as a single golden ring flew from its cloth – a crude underwear looking scrap – and landed on the cold, hard ground.

Everything muted, and she could only stare at the golden band.

The creature continued to mutter to itself as it dragged the goblin off, out of sight. Bilbo waited for several moments before getting to his feet, keeping his weapon at his side. Marlough blinked and coughed gently.

 _“I don’t like it down here Bilbo.”_ She told him, and he hummed in agreement. The blade provided light as the Hobbit bent down to pick up the ring. He brought it up to eye level and they both stared at it, fascinated.

“Strange that a monster like that could have such a pretty thing.” Bilbo murmured, before he put it in his waist coat pocket. “I wonder if it was anything precious to him.”

 _“I highly doubt that it is anything to him, probably just something shiny that he liked.”_ The creature’s voice echoed down the caves, and the both froze.

“-not enough fle-sh.” Came the voice, and the badger growled gently. Bilbo crept along the rocky walls, careful to stick to the shadows, and a great light came into view. The creature was perched on a rock, hunched over the goblin.

It was singing.

The goblin reared up again, and the creature hit it hard. The elven light went out. Marlough looked at it in horror, before yelping as the creature appeared in front of her.

“My precious, look, what big juicy mouthfuls-” Bilbo raised his sword as it came closer, and it stepped back startled. It coughed again, and glared at the Hobbit. Marlough growled deeply.

“Stay back.” Bilbo started, he faulted, but got to his feet. “I’m warning you.” Marlough’s growl got even louder.

“It’s got an elvish blade.” The creature muttered. It began to talk to itself again. “A-and, what’s that, a badger-s? Precious,” It licked its lips. “We like badgers-es.” Marlough let out a harsh noise. “But what-s is it?” It asked, pointing to the Hobbit.

“I-” Bilbo kept his sword trained on the creature. “I am Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. She is called Marlough.” He replied.

“Baggins-es?” He questioned the name.

 _“He’s a Hobbit from the shire."_ Marlough growled, and the creature seemed almost delighted with that piece of information. She scanned him warily, looking for his guardian, but she couldn’t locate a creature. He wasn’t a goblin, nor an orc, for he was too small and too misshapen to belong to either race. She continued to growl as it came closer again, and it skittered backwards. Bilbo threatened it again.

“Just show us the way out of here.” Bilbo commanded, and the creature questioned him again.

If he wasn’t an orc nor a goblin, then what was he? She wagered that if he stood upright, he’d be about Hobbit-size, and the feet would give anybody the impression of a Hobbit but he was too different to be one. His skeletal form made her shiver again, and she snarled once more. The creature threatened again, and Bilbo held up his hand.

“Nope- no I do want to play- honestly, I really want to play.” He suggested a game of riddles, and put himself against the creature. “My guardian will sit out, she’s uhh, not one for riddles.”

“Guardian-ses? We had one of those,” Marlough inhaled. “And we ates it.” She shook, yelped and shivered, and Bilbo was petting her immediately. “Just like we’ll eat-s you if you lose.”

“B-but if we win, you have to show us the way out, alright?” The creature thought about it, and nodded.

“Okay-s.” The creature smiled. “Baggins-ses first.” Bilbo nodded and tried to think of a riddle.

“Thirty white horses on a red hill.  
First they champ, then they stamp,  
Then they stand still.”

The creature pulled some interesting facial expressions – at one point looking very similar to the Hobbits back at home after a particularly large meal – that would have been comical if not for the life threatening situation they were in. She felt hope that it wouldn’t know the answer, before it scowled gently.

“Teeth?” Bilbo pulled a face above her in confirmation. It yelled the answer again, before giving the next riddle. Bilbo paused, and Marlough struggled for the answer herself. He looked out over the body of water, struggling for the answer.

“It’s wind, of course it is.” Marlough nodded her answer and the creature turned sour again.

“A-a Box without hinges, key or lid,  
Yet a golden treasure inside is hid.” He announced, and once again the creature struggled for an answer. It crawled around as it searched for the answer, complaining slightly.

“Egg-ses! A box of egg-ses.” Bilbo flinched at the sound of a bat. And when they turned around again the creature had disappeared.

 _“Bilbo...”_ The creature began again, and Marlough looked around wildly for it as its voice echoed around the cavern, her usually excellent hearing being rendered useless as it gave the riddle. The grim riddle chilled her again, and Bilbo groaned. Bilbo cried out as it appeared behind them, wrapping his pale arms around the Hobbit’s neck.

“Baggin-ses is out of time-” It prepared to lunge.

“T-time! The answer is time!” Bilbo cried out, and Marlough could have kissed him. He coughed. “Actually, it wasn’t that hard.” Marlough giggled gently, and he gave a quick smile in her direction. The creature demanded another question, and Bilbo searched for something.

“What have I got... in my pocket.” He asked quietly, and Marlough exhaled sharply.

“What? T-that’s not fair!” It threw a large rock down, and the badger almost fainted. It was going to-

“No, no. Three guesses.” Bilbo warned, holding the weapon tighter. The creature jumped down and span in thought.

“Hand-ses!” It yelled, holding up his own disfigured limbs to emphasise his answer. In turn, Bilbo showed his un-pocketed hands. The creature scowled again, and as a passing thought Marlough wondered about the rest of their company.

“Knife!” It yelled again, before berating itself.

“Wrong again.” Bilbo warned.

“String!” It proclaimed, and pulled a face. “Or nothing!” Bilbo shook his head, almost smugly in Marlough’s opinion.

“Two guesses at once, and they’re both wrong.” The creature fell to the ground, and she wasn’t entirely sure what it was doing, but suddenly, it was on its feet, reaching for its cloth. It was muttering again, glaring at the Hobbit and Badger. It dipped a hand into its pocket and his eyes went wide with shock. It turned, searching its pockets for something that quite clearly wasn’t there.

 _“Show us the way out!”_ Marlough growled, and it snapped its head up.

“You stole it! My precious! Nasty little Hobbit-ses!” Bilbo quickly turned around and sprinted away as it gave chase.

\--

Marlough was quite glad that she was attached to Bilbo’s chest as he ran through the caves.

 _“I think this might be the most exercise you’ve ever done.”_ She told him, and he barely had a chance to shake his head.

“You know I think that comment might have been funnier is we weren’t being chased by a homicidal creature that wants to eat us!” He retorted, before attempting to fit through a crack in the wall. He edged Marlough through the gap, and attempted to fit himself through as the creatures voice came closer.

 _“Bilbo!”_ With a pop of buttons and a startled cry, they came free of the rock, and Bilbo fell down. He reached up into the air to grab the ring as it flew from his grasp, and it landed on his finger. The creature came through the hole and Marlough prayed to the Valar that a miracle would happen.  
It looked around wildly, and both badger and hobbit watched in amazement as it ran on past, its voice getting quieter as it ran down the tunnels. She looked up at him, and Bilbo could only surge to his feet to follow the creature.

\--

They followed the sound of its voice, silent as it fumbled around. As they approached a fork in the tunnels, it quickly dived behind a rock, and Marlough almost sobbed as they watched the company run past. They walked up close to it, keeping next to the wall and Bilbo raised his blade, ready to kill it.

Marlough shut her eyes tightly, and awaited for her beloved Hobbit to take another creature’s life. It never came. Bilbo lowered the sword gently, and shook his head.  
Quickly, he pushed off from the wall, and the creature lunged but couldn’t reach them in time.

“Curse you Baggin-ses forever!” The cry echoed outside, and she’d never been so happy to see the sun. They paused, by some trees and she wriggled, wanting to get out of her harness quickly. He let her down and she stretched, before snapping her head down the hill.

She could hear Gandalf suddenly.

“Where is our Hobbit!?”

She was running with Bilbo, both invisible. They stopped suddenly on the outskirts of the group.

 ___“They saw a chance and they took it.”_ __ Koric grunted, shaking some goblin blood from his muzzle. The other dwarves exchanged looks.

“He’s though of nothing but home since he left the shire. They’re probably back in Rivendell as we speak.” Thorin paused. “They are long gone.”  
Marlough looked up at Bilbo and they shared a look of steely determination. He took off the ring, and she snorted.

 _“No, your highness, we’re not.”_ She snarked, and the company turned to look at them in varying shades of disbelief. Mithi flew over, landing on the badger’s back as her wizard smiled down at them.

“Bilbo and Marlough Baggins, I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life.” Marlough growled gently as the robin fussed over her, and glared at the wolf. Koric sneered and the other guardians looked torn. Bilbo patted Balin on the shoulder, and Berin scampered to rub her cheek against Marlough’s.

“We’d given you up.” Kíli started, looking immensely happy that their burglars had returned. Laví leapt over, repeating what Berin had done. Marlough blocked out the conversation above her as the fox whirled around her, checking her over for anything.

Askal hissed at a comment, and she snapped to attention.

“I know you doubt me.” Bilbo began, frowning at the two warriors. “I know you do, and you doubt Marly too. To right you should.” Marlough squinted. “We miss home. I miss my books, my arm chair-” __  
 _“ I miss my sleeping pillow.”_  
“We both miss the Shire, because well, that’s where we belong. We belong in our home.”  
 _“And that’s why we’re here, because you don’t have a home.”_ She said.  
“And we will help you take it back, if we can.”

There were varying looks of awe from the company, and Laví rewarded Marlough with a lick on the cheek. At that moment, after everything, Marlough felt at home within the company, and she felt happy.

Then the howling started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS?
> 
> So. I'm a horrible person.  
> But i am sorry, so sorry I can't explain. Go complain to me on my tumblr (www.arkhamstate.tumblr.com.)


	11. In which apologies are given

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orcs, Wargs! Terror on the cliff face!  
> (Holy crap the author has updated! Incredible!)

“Run!” Someone yelled – but no one had to be told twice. Bilbo scooped Marlough up into his arms as he sprinted down the hillside and with surprising accuracy threw her up into the trees and clambered up afterwards. If it wasn’t a life or death situation she would have mentioned something – however the wargs snapping at the tree trunks chased the thought from her mind rather quickly. She squeaked and back further onto Bilbo’s lap, ears flattened to her skull as the danger got closer.

“The trunk’s damaged!” Someone else yelled. “We’ve got to move!” The trees began to fall towards the edge, and then they were trapped on the last tree on the edge of the cliff. Marlough was placed against the tree trunk, Bilbo pressed tight against her side as the Orc Pac came closer.  The blood was roaring in her ears, she felt the tension shift as the white orc spat something up at them. She felt Koric’s rumbling growl and couldn’t help but growl with him.

Gandalf passed something to Bilbo, and she watched as they began to throw flaming pinecones down at the wargs and Orcs, the dry pine needles catching alight quickly – forcing them back from the tree. Marlough felt victory flush through her veins as the enemy growled and howled, unable to get closer, but then she felt the tree groan and her blood went cold. Slowly, the tree toppled backwards, sending the Company in a flurry to get a good grip on the trees. Some of the smaller animals like Berin and Meelo were forced on the backs of Haran and Muria; and Puck wrapped her tail tightly around Kísa, dragging the rabbit up on to the right side of the branches.

The rabbit squeaked loudly as Ori fell, and Puck kept a hold on her as she attempted to jump down to him. Tahn barked at Gandalf, commanding him to pull up his Dwarf and his sister’s Dwarf.  The corgi’s claws clattered against the bark as he moved, and for a moment Marlough was transfixed by the sound, before bone-chilling laughter echoed over the roaring of the fire.

Azog and his Orcs had found a path through the fire, and were approaching them slowly. She shivered, feeling Bilbo’s fear mixing with her own. All was lost, the quest was done. They were going to pick them off one by one, and kill them all. Erebor would never know its heirs, and they would never return to Hobbiton. She closed her eyes and ignored the urge to weep.

Hope surged through her, _Bilbo’s hope_ , and she looked up. Thorin was striding down the trunk, Orcrist held in his hands as he bore down on the Orcs. Koric was right behind his Dwarf, snarling as he approached. Then, they gave battle. Dwarf and Wolf were a sight to behold, slashing and snapping, giving a good fight. Azog stepped forward and Thorin fell onto his back, rolling to the side to avoid a blade aimed at his head. Koric tackled a Warg, using the momentum of his jump to topple the Warg and rip out its throat. Another jumped on his back, and although he shook it off another took its place and pinned him to the ground. He snarled and wriggled, but could not get free of the beast. The White Warg picked Thorin up, jaws snapping harshly around his body and threw him, and as his head fell back onto a rock Koric stopped struggling and let out a low whine.

Azog held up his hand and another Orc dismounted his steed, moving to kill the exiled Prince before his master. He raised the blade, and Marlough saw red. She was at the end of the trunk before she realised, following Bilbo as he jumped on the Orc and stabbed it in the throat with his sword. Marlough felt something build in her stomach, and she let loose a noise that shouldn’t have been produced by a badger. The Warg on top of Koric let out a startled yelp and jumped off of the wolf, just as Bilbo held up his sword to Azog the Defiler himself.

The courage that had filled her small being only moments ago left her as Azog climbed off of his steed, and took a step towards her Hobbit.

_“Run little one-”_ Koric whimpered from behind her. _“Do not let that one die.”_ He muttered, as if he possessed a great knowledge about Bilbo. She turned to look in his golden eyes, and they stared at each other for a moment before his lead lulled back. Her attention snapped back to her Hobbit. Azog took another step closer, and she keened, but a yell stopped her short. Askal leapt in front of her, giving her a nod and growling at anything that came near. Dwalin, Kíli and Fíli had climbed out of the tree, followed by anyone else that could come to their aid. The Dwarves attacked with gusto, defending their fallen Prince and the Hobbit that moved faster than them.

They were forcing them backwards and once again the Badger felt hope. A screech echoed across the sky, and a Warg was picked up and flung off of the cliff edge.

_“Ori!” “Dori!”_ Came two separate cries, and she looked back to see two giant eagles flying up to the tree to allow some of the guardians to jump on their backs. The rabbit shoved her nose into Ori’s neck, and Tahn licked Dori’s face. Askal turned and picked her up by the scruff of her neck, before running and leaping off of the edge and onto the back of an eagle. The Panther let her down and she turned to look for her Hobbit.

Another eagle lifted him between their talons, and he was dropped off onto the same one she was on. Askal moved as she jumped onto his lap, burying her snout under his arm and crying softly. He watched as Thorin was lifted into the sky, and nudged her when Koric was also taken from the ground. The company with lifted into the air on the backs of the Eagles of _Manwë._

_The sky was a blur of pinks and oranges as the sun rose, and they flew for ten minutes before a tall pillar of stone appeared and one by one the Company was deposited on the Carrock. Bilbo placed her on the floor as they all crowded around Thorin._

_“Oi, back off a bit, let ‘im breathe.” Oin muttered, and they all took a step back (but inched closer). Nav_ í and Laví came to stand either side of Marlough, nuzzling her side and chattering away. The wolf yawned and woke up, blinking at everyone in turn before staring intently at his Dwarf. His ears were flat against his skull, and he pushed his nose forward to lick Thorin’s hand. As a whine reached their ears, Naví and Laví hurried to comfort him, and Marlough took pity on him and moved to nuzzle into his side.

Softly, he moved to lick her forehead and nuzzle her in thanks. If she didn’t have fur, he’d be able to see her blushing – but thank god for her pelt. She rested her head on his foreleg, and he put his head down next to hers as they waited for Thorin to wake up.

Koric’s tail thumped the floor as the Prince’s eyes opened gingerly, looking around at his group.

“The Halfling?” He asked once he’d been helped to his feet, he looked up at Gandalf.

The look on the wizard’s face was that of relief and approval. “It’s all right,” he said. “Bilbo is here. He is quite safe.”

The members parted to reveal Bilbo standing and looking at him. “Did I not say that you’d be a burden? Did I not say that you would not survive in the wild?” He took a step towards Bilbo. Marlough nosed Koric, and the Wolf shrugged. “That you had no place amongst us?” Thorin was stood right in front of him now, and both Marlough and Koric lifted their heads and were watching them intently.

“Never before have I been so wrong.” He told him, staring into his eyes before bringing him in for a hug. Warmth coursed through Marlough, and she snuggled tighter against the Wolf’s side. The company cheered and Rajack squeaked a few times, flapping around Bifur’s head.

They pulled apart and Bilbo was blushing, Thorin smiled at him before his attention shifted to her. He moved over and knelt, holding a hand out so she could sniff at his fingers.

“I wish to apologise for what I have said before. It was rude of me to treat you like that, and I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me.” He murmured, and Koric nodded with his Dwarf.

_“I am also sorry. I have been nothing but hostile to both of you.”_ She blinked a few times in shock.

_“Apologies accepted I suppose. Although don’t think that it means I won’t hit you ever again. I think I reserve that right for whenever I feel like it.”_ She replied, matter-of-factly. They both laughed and she allowed Thorin to pet her on the head a couple of times.

“Thorin-”  
 _“Look.”_ Fíli and Naví were looking into the distance, and the Company turned to look at the Lonely Mountain. Muttering came up as they stared, enraptured, by the sight Erebor.

“It looks so close.” Thorin took a step forward and grunted, falling onto one knee. Koric jostled Marlough as he went to steady him, and she trotted over and nudged his knee. “Damn Orcs.”

_“There is a place nearby where we can rest and heal some of our wounds.”_ Mithi chirped softly, and Gandalf nodded with her, before gesturing to the edge of the Carrock. Muria flew over and circled for a bit, confirming that there was a rough path down to the bottom. Slowly, they began to descend the rock structure, Marlough taking careful steps to not fall. As she placed a paw down, a bit of the rock crumbled away and she was quickly scooped up and held close, saving her from a fall. She thanked Nori, who smiled and passed her to Bilbo. Berin was riding around on Haran’s back, squeaking as the Raven tried to show off.

Once they got down onto solid ground, she was placed of the floor again and instantly flanked by Kísa and Meelo, who chattered to her as they began to walk towards the wizards ‘rest stop.’


	12. In which there is largeness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had the sudden urge to finish this story, so we'll see how far I get for now.

Obviously whatever Gods were watching their little adventure was having a good old chuckle at the moment. She’d heard the phrase, “out of the frying pan and into the fire” from Chard before – her father-guardian always enjoyed the more adventurous novels to anything that was considered ‘proper’ for either him or Belladonna to read – but whatever was happening right now was just downright ridiculous. She was being carried again by Koric (sadly it seemed to be a recurring thing now) as they ran away from a bear. _A bear._

Not someperson’s guardian, an actual _giant bear_.

She could almost hear the laughter over the blood pumping through her ears. By _Yavanna_ they did not deserve this.

Koric’s gait was swift as he ran ahead of the others, Askal at his side as they scouted ahead of the others. There was a farm house just in the middle of the valley, looking surprisingly picturesque despite the chaos they were currently facing. Askal pushed forward and used his weight to push the door open, and Koric sprinted in after him. She landed on the ground with a sudden start, turning automatically to watch the other stream into the safety of the house.

Bilbo tumbled in towards the end of the group, and the growls of the bear grew louder as the company hurried to secure the door closed. She added her own weight to the door – whilst she wasn’t entirely sure what good she could do; but she knew that it’d be better not to sit idly by. The bear slammed against the door and she was the only one that went skidding at the force of it. The stone floors didn’t give her any give as she slid on stomach towards the opposite wall, and even from there she could hear the heavy wet grunts of the bear on the other side of the door.

The company fell deathly quiet as it grunted and growled, and only when the noise went quiet did they relax. Bilbo came over and coaxed her from under the chair she’d slid under, and she nosed her way into his arms with small squeaking noises.

“ _What in the world was that?_ ” Berin squeaked from atop the door frame, before leaping nimbly down to land on Bombur’s head.

“That was a bear,” Bofur replied, sliding to sit in front of the door with a sigh. Meelo scrambled to tuck herself under his chin, and they settled against one another with obvious relief.

“ _A very large bear,_ ” ‘Uges agreed, tucking himself against Oin with great effort. “ _A very angry bear._ ”

Mithi and Gandalf seemed remarkably unperturbed by the whole situation, moving with grace that only a wizard could possess to the large dining table through a large doorway. Everything in this house was… a little larger than anything Marlough used to. It was obviously larger than her hobbit hole, and whilst she hadn’t frequented too many residents of men she knew that it was larger than their furniture as well. The table was laden with food; breads, cheeses and fruits of all sort.

The moment the dwarrows caught sight of the food was worse than when Farmer Corrat last saw some of the children stealing his crops from the field. They descended on the table like the filthy animals they really were, forgoing even washing their hands to stuff their faces full. She and Bilbo exchanged a look and he trudged over there as well, intent on getting some food in him before the dwarrows and their guardians inhaled every last crumb of it all.

\--

Hay wasn't their usual first choice of bedding, but it was acres better than the hard earth they'd endured recently. In fact, Marlough found she didn't mind half as much when Bilbo threw a sheet he'd found over their section of the hay; the moment the two of them curled down with one another sleep took them both quickly. She felt Bilbo rouse in her slumber a few hours later, but he didn't stay awake for long so she didn't bother to wake as well.

When she did wake up in the early hours of the morning she found herself to be the only one. Yawning she gently hopped off on Bilbo's stomach to land on the stone floor, her claws scratching as she attempted to find purchase again. She padded into the dining room and stopped dead, taking in the great lumbering figure sat at the head of the table. From the way he actually fit in the furniture, she guessed that he was the owner of the house.

And if he hadn't thrown them all out or killed them in the night she figured that he must have been a good person. If a _tad_ large.

Her stomach growled and she sighed softly – even after gorging herself last night she was still suffering from the hunger she'd endured on the trip so far. She startled as hands came over her and picked her up, but relaxed when it was just Gandalf lifting her up to the table. Their host made a noise in the back of his throat and there was some sort of clatter from the kitchen area as Gandalf set her down carefully.

"This is our host Marlough," Gandalf said, sitting down opposite her. "His name is Beorn."

" _Thank you for your hospitality, Mister Beorn._ " She told the giant politely, settling down to rest her snout on her paws as she waited.

"There's no need for no formalities, little one." The giant rumbled back, and the sound of his voice made her fur rustle slightly. It sounded awfully familiar to her. "And I am... glad to be hosting of your company."

There was a noise from beside Beorn and a sheep stepped into the pre-dawn light with a plate of cheese and bread balanced on its head. The giant took the plate and moved forward to place it in front of her, and she thanked them both.

" _I am sorry to be so rude,_ " Marlough started. "B _ut my friends and I, we... devoured the food left last night. You see, there was a bear chasing us, and before that we fought some orcs, and before that there were goblins-_ "

They were both chuckling at her, and she narrowed her eyes as she ate a small cube of cheese. A part of her wondered how the sheep had cut it into cubes, but a large part was more irritated with their amusement.

" _What's so funny?_ " She asked indignantly, scrunching her nose up at the both of them. Beorn reached over and ran a hand over her back – before this adventure she'd have been scandalised for a stranger to just reach over and pet her, but now she found she couldn't really care less.

"I am sorry for scaring you, little one." He rumbled. "I had been attacked by warg scouts earlier, and my decision making skills are a little... lacking when Kajir is in charge. I took your company for orcs, and I am sorry for that." Marly peered at him in confusion, pausing in eating her breakfast.

" _Kajir... are they your guardian?_ " She asked hesitantly, not entirely sure what he meant. He and Gandalf exchanged a look, and Mithi took the moment to land on the brim of her wizard's hat.

"In a way, little one. Kajir and I are one and the same, much unlike you and your halfling." "One and the same..." She parroted back in a quiet voice.

" _You're a shapechanger._ "

"Correct, little one. Kajir and I live in one body, share one mind. Like this," He used his hand to gesture to his body. "It is Beorn-Kajir. As a bear, it is Kajir-Beorn." "It is an odd thing," She admitted as he ruffled the fur between her ears.

" _I can't quite comprehend no being at Bilbo's side. But the gift of changing shape... that doesn't sound too bad I suppose_."

He smiled at her, and there was a great clamour from the bed area. Her company was awake, so it seemed, and like she had been they were hungry. And hungry dwarrows weren't something you could simply ignore, so Marly finished her plate of food and momentarily struggled to jump down from the table to make room. Kilí took glee in wrapping his hands around her and carting her in one smooth movement to the floor. She shot him a look that he just grinned at, and she moved away from the busy table to check on her dearest one.

Bilbo was still snoring softly in his hay bed, and she nuzzled his lax hand with her wet nose to rectify that situation. They still had a long walk to get to the mountain, and he needed all the strength he could get after what they'd been through. His hand stroked her nose and moved to scratch her head as he blinked into waking.

" _Ready to get up sleepy head?_ " She asked as he lifted his head to look down at her. " _Everyone's eating and you're still sleeping._ "

"You've eaten," He mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "That half counts."

" _When we find a way to share the food we eat, then it'll count. Come on lazybones, we don't want the company to eat everything like they did at home._ " She told him, gently nipping at his fingers. He pulled his hand away with a feigned hurt look, and she just rolled her eyes and urged him out of his bed and up to the table.

To keep out of the way of the serving animals she slipped under the table, coming snout to snout with the fox twins having their own breakfast. Naví nodded his head to her and Laví bounded to nudge their noses together as the conversation picked up on the table above. Marlough listened closely as the foxes ate, a heavy feeling pooling in her stomach.

" _Isn't Mirkwood... dangerous?_ " Marlough asked hesitantly, and Naví raised his eyes to hers.

" _You've fought goblins and orcs, but you're worried about a little woods?_ " His tone was teasing, and she blinked at him challengingly.

" _I wouldn't call it a 'little woods', Naví. It's a large, dark forest and knowing the luck this company has, anything and everything bad will happen to us._ " She snipped back, narrowing her eyes slightly. Laví looked up from her food with a large put-on sigh.

" _Can't you be excited about one little thing Marly? We're going to be absolutely fine, Koric and Thorin will look after us._ "

The smaller fox protested, and Marlough fought back the urge to argue that maybe their illustrious leaders hadn't made the best choices already on this quest. Instead, she inclined her head and moved to settled under Bilbo's feet with a sigh as the conversation continued on above her.


End file.
